


Good Talks

by wintrgardner



Category: WinterGarden - Fandom, Wise doctor life, 슬기로운 의사생활 | Hospital Playlist (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friendship. Fluff., Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:01:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24533503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wintrgardner/pseuds/wintrgardner
Summary: A story of how each of the 99ers invite Gyeo-ul for a chat about their friend. Gyeo-ul takes notes, and learns more about the friends in the process.
Relationships: Ahn Jeong Won/Jang Gyeo-ul
Comments: 108
Kudos: 416





	1. Hot Chocolate with Chae Song-hwa

Gyeo-ul had never had a full conversation with Prof. Chae before, let alone a sit-down inside the hospital café with her. Visiting Seoul from Sokcho, she seemed cheerful and full of energy. Her presence was refreshing. Gyeo-ul, on the other hand, had just gotten off after a long shift. She looked nothing like the neurosurgeon sitting in front of her.

“So how have things been lately, Dr. Jang?” Song-hwa smiled at her.

“Things have been busy, professor. Especially since people are coming back from the holidays. Otherwise, it’s nothing new.” Gyeo-ul tried her best to smile, but she was nervous.

“How is Sokcho, professor?”

“Ah, it’s wonderful. I love the sea breeze and walking along the beach. You should come visit.”

Gyeo-ul nodded obligingly. She knew where the conversation was going. Still, she was at a loss as to why Prof. Chae would invite her for drinks in the café.

“How about you? I was just wondering if this was all new to you.” Song-hwa looked at her, a somewhat worried look on her face.

Gyeo-ul blinked. She didn’t know what to say.

“Jeongwonnie, he’s never had a girlfriend before. I don’t recall him dating anyone since I’ve known him. If it makes you feel any better, this is all new to him, too.”

Gyeo-ul nodded. She had yet to tell anyone about this new development in her life. She would have told Min-ha, but she was worried her friend would talk her ear off. She hadn’t the time for that just yet.

“I…well, this is my first time to have someone like me. I guess it’s a little overwhelming.”

“But are you happy?”

Gyeo-ul looked up in surprise at the question. She could feel a smile creeping onto her face and managed to bite her lower lip to stop it from showing.

“Yes, professor. I’m very happy.”

Song-hwa smiled. Inside, she was giddier than she let on. Even with her tired eyes and unruly pony tail, Gyeo-ul looked adorable to her as she smiled shyly, looking down.

“But why did you want to talk to me, Professor? Is there a problem about Prof. Ahn?”

Song-hwa’s smile suddenly faded and she looked at Gyeo-ul straight in the eye.

“Yes,” Song-hwa nodded, pursing her lips and closing her eyes. “There are a lot of things wrong with him.”

Gyeo-ul looked worried.

“I’ve known him for 20 years. He has his moments. Sometimes he can be more childish than his patients. Did you know he never told us his father owned this hospital?” Song-hwa’s brows furrowed at the memory.

Gyeo-ul nodded. “Yes, Prof. Lee told me. I guess he didn’t want to brag…?”

“No, Gyeo-ul. He just didn’t want us to know he was loaded.”

Gyeo-ul nodded, but she couldn’t help laughing.

Song-hwa’s face softened. _She really likes him._

“The truth is, Jeong-won is a lot of things. But the most important thing about him is that he has a good heart. He cares about his patients. He cares about his mother. He cares about his friends.”

Gyeo-ul nodded, taking a sip of her hot chocolate, wondering what Prof. Chae meant to say to her.

“And he cares about you, Gyeoulie. A lot. I can tell.”

Gyeo-ul put her cup down, feeling a flurry of things with this admission.

“So be patient with him. He can overwork himself and worry too much. Sometimes he won’t have time for other things. You’ll have to be understanding. He can get so caught up.”

Gyeo-ul nodded, feeling strangely touched by Prof. Chae’s concern for her friend.

“Take care of him. And as much as possible, convince him to go home.” Gyeo-ul nodded.

"Ah," Song-hwa suddenly had an idea. “Convince him to go home with you, if you like.”

Gyeo-ul choked on her drink. Coughing incessantly, she beat her chest lightly to relieve herself from the astonishment of her words.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry! Did I surprise you?”

Song-hwa had done it this time.


	2. Sandwiches with Lee Ik-jun

Gyeo-ul was face to face with a pair of curious eyes that reminded her a lot of a certain professor she knew. Sitting across from the little boy, she looked down on the table, wondering what to say to her professor’s son. Apart from her pediatric cases, she didn’t have much experience with children.

U-ju stared at the strange woman in front of him. She didn’t smile much, unlike his Aunt Song-hwa. She was small and skinny, unlike his nanny. She wore a simple white t-shirt – no jewelry or high heels like his mom usually did. Who was this ahjumma?

“Here we go.” Ik-jun finally arrived with their order, disrupting what seemed to be a staring contest between his son and his favorite resident. “One Avaholic for U-ju. One double bacon for Gyeo-ul. And a ham and cheese for me.”

“Thank you, professor.” Gyeo-ul nodded, before the sound of her grumbling stomach resounded across the table. U-ju's mouth dropped, staring at her. 

Ik-jun furrowed his brow in frustration, “Really now, has Jeong-won not been feeding you well?”

“Sorry, professor. I’ve just been busy.”

Gyeo-ul frowned slightly at the thought of seeing little of Jeong-won the past few days, “We haven’t seen each other much lately. He’s been doing a lot of surgeries.”

“Ah yes,” Ik-jun felt a twinge of guilt. Ever since he found out that Jeong-won and Gyeo-ul were together, he was able to convince his GS resident to assist in more of his surgeries as a ‘thank you’ for being an effective wingman. He felt bad for taking her away from Jeong-won at work.

To make it up to her, Ik-jun decided he would cast some more wingman magic by inviting her for some sandwiches with his son. He was going to pass on more wisdom, Jeongwon-wise.

“Appa, who is she?” U-ju looks up at his father, still curious about the ahjumma sitting across from him.

“Ah, this is your Uncle Jeong-won’s girlfriend.” 

Ik-jun beamed widely, looking over at Gyeo-ul, who stopped mid-bite. “You should call her Auntie.”

U-ju looked rather surprised. “Uncle Jeong-won has a girlfriend?”

Ik-jun nodded, “Yes, U-ju. He realized he would have to get a girlfriend since you’ve been too busy lately spending time with Mone.”

U-ju looked worried. “Can Uncle Jeong-won still come over to play even though he has a girlfriend?”

Ik-jun turned to Gyeo-ul, as though passing on the question to her. “What do you think, Auntie? Can Uncle Jeong-won still play with U-ju?”

Gyeo-ul swallowed her bite of the sandwich. She looked at U-ju whose lips were downturned.

“Why...yes. Of course. Prof. Ahn...Uncle Jeong-won...will come over to play with you.”

U-ju looked at her. “Can Auntie come too?” Gyeo-ul, surprised, simply nodded. He was impossible to resist.

U-ju turned to his father. “I’ll bring Mone over, too. She is U-ju's girlfriend,” U-ju explains to Gyeo-ul. 

Ik-jun roared with laughter and gave his son an affectionate smile as U-ju happily scarfed down his sandwich. He turned to Gyeo-ul. 

“Gyeoul-ah. You have to understand, in this whole world, Jeong-won loves children the most.”

Gyeo-ul nodded, “Yes, professor. I’ve seen that these past few months.” She looked down, feeling a little concerned. “I wonder if I could ever compete with that.”

“You have to give yourself more credit, you know.” Ik-jun gave her an encouraging smile, “I’ve never seen him fall for someone before.” Gyeo-ul could only blush.

“Jeongwonnie, he’s a nice guy, a friendly person. But he doesn’t trust people easily. How do you think we’ve managed to stay close for the past 20 years?”

Gyeo-ul suddenly felt anxious, realizing that she didn’t have just his patients to compete with but also his four best friends.

“But when he trusts, he’s incredibly loyal.” Gyeo-ul looked up at her professor.

“Don’t think he doles that out easily. You’re his diamond in the rough.”

Slowly, Gyeo-ul could feel a weight off her chest, a warmth at this realization. She smiled. “Thank you, professor.”

U-ju looked over curiously at the ahjumma across the table. She looked kind of different now. Her face was brighter, her smile adding a softness to the cold expression she wore minutes ago. He decided he liked her.

“Abuji,” U-ju looked up at his father. Time to turn on the charm. “Could you buy me and Auntie another sandwich?”

The two grown-ups turned to U-ju, surprised. His sandwich was almost finished.

Gyeo-ul nodded at U-ju, then looked at Ik-jun. “Yes, Abuji. We’d really like more sandwiches.”

Ik-jun turned from his son to Gyeo-ul, amused, and a little exasperated. “Look at both of you. Snack monsters ganging up on me and taking advantage.”

On cue, U-ju and Gyeo-ul finished up the last of their sandwiches. Ik-jun had barely eaten his.

“Alright, alright. I’ll go order some more.” Ik-jun got up in frustration. “These two,” He looked at his son and his resident who seemed to be in cahoots with each other now. “I’m going crazy.” He retreated to the counter.

Gyeo-ul and U-ju looked at each other, laughing at their victory. 

"Auntie," U-ju leaned in to whisper, "U-ju and Mone. Auntie and Uncle Jeong-won. We'll have a double date." 

Gyeo-ul couldn't help but smile. She nodded happily, "Yes, I'd like that very much." 

Suddenly, the sound of her phone disrupted their exchange. It was Jeong-won.

_“Hey, I just got out of surgery. I’ll be off in a while. Are you still in the hospital?”_

Gyeo-ul smiled. It was nice to hear his voice. “I’m having sandwiches with Prof. Lee and U-ju.”

Jeong-won sounded surprised. _“U-ju?”_

Gyeo-ul looked over at the little boy with the mischievous eyes that reminded her of a certain professor she knew.

“Yes. And I have to tell you, we’re going on a double date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the fluffiest piece I've done so far, mostly because I wanted a Gyeo-ul/Uju friendship to happen. We've seen a lot of Ik-jun in the series (and I also wrote him in my other story, The Day After) so I wanted to include U-ju in the picture. I hope you guys enjoy! :)


	3. Garden View with Kim Jun-wan

Jun-wan had been seeing Gyeo-ul around the hospital, 2 weeks since he heard that she and Jeong-won had gotten together. He looked curiously at the quiet GS resident with the emotionless expression on her face. Perhaps he had been too caught up in his own love affair to notice that Jeong-won was falling in love. He certainly wouldn’t have thought that this skinny girl could be the one to make his friend turn from a 40-year-old virgin to…well, a 40-year-old virgin with a girlfriend.

“Yes, I’m about to head out to the garden…Alright, I’ll see you there,” he heard Gyeo-ul say on her phone from 2 feet away.

Jun-wan looked at his watch. He had an hour before his surgery _._ _There’s still time to kill._

Gyeo-ul put her phone back in her coat pocket and walked towards the elevator. Jun-wan craned his neck up at her as she quickly walked out of sight.

Jun-wan was definitely curious about her. He was definitely curious about the kind of girl Jeong-won would like, enough to give up his long-drawn out desire to entire into priesthood.

 _Hmmm._ His friends never meddled in his relationships, and he firmly believed he should never meddle in theirs either.

_Still. This is a unique case._

Jun-wan nodded to himself. _Alright then._

_“Sorry, I got called in suddenly for an emergency. I’ll come see you after I get this sorted out.”_

Gyeo-ul frowned. She had been looking forward to seeing Jeong-won, even just briefly.

“It’s okay, that’s more important. You should take care of it first, professor.”

_“Sorry, Gyeo-ul. I’ll buy you a nice dinner later.”_

Gyeo-ul smiled. “Yes, professor. See you later.” _Click._

It was just one of those busy days.

Gyeo-ul sighed, looking at her phone. As a surgical resident, she knew that her work would always keep her from personal affairs. She didn’t mind as much before. But now that she was in a relationship, it became increasingly obvious to her that doctors – especially surgeons – would have as much difficulty finding time for dating as they did handling their own cases.

“So,” an imposing figure suddenly came to view, “you’re Jeong-won’s girlfriend.”

Gyeo-ul’s head shot up, surprised by the declaration and sudden appearance of one of her professors.

Prof. Kim Jun-wan stood in front of her, wearing a serious, rather daunting expression on his face. Gyeo-ul felt like she was going to be taken in.

She swallowed, feeling uneasy, “Ah…yes, professor.”

Jun-wan shook his head. “Aish, you poor kid.”

Gyeo-ul looked up at him, surprised at the remark.

Jun-wan took a seat and looked pointedly at her. “You know, Jeong-won and I used to live together. I’ve got a lot of dirt on that guy.”

Gyeo-ul blinked, wondering where this was going.

“He may seem tall and handsome to you now, but he was a huge nerd back then.”

Gyeo-ul stared at her professor. She had never spoken to him before. Now they were talking, just the two of them, in the hospital garden...about no less than her relationship.

“Ya,” Jun-wan had to turn it down a notch. He was scaring his friend's girlfriend. “What did you do exactly to make Jeong-won like you?”

Gyeo-ul was beet red at this point. She couldn’t believe they were having this conversation.

She let out a breath, “Nothing, professor.” Gyeo-ul shrugged at him, “Honestly, I don’t know why he likes me.”

Jun-wan looked at her questioningly. _This girl is so strange_.

The two doctors stared at each other, one sizing the other up, and the other, feeling like she was going to be swallowed whole.

Gyeo-ul figured she would just have to brave it out.

“The truth is, professor: I confessed to him.”

Jun-wan raised his eyebrows. He was clearly surprised.

“I confessed my feelings. And – I don’t know – he accepted them. I wasn’t really expecting he would.”

Jun-wan didn’t think the genesis of this whole affair could be that simple. “So, before that, you didn’t know if he liked you too?”

Gyeo-ul nodded. “No, professor.” She looked down, a small smile on her face. “Actually, he was always cold to me.”

Jun-wan stared at her. He didn’t know whether he should be impressed or baffled by her audacity. “Then why did you do it, if you weren’t even sure he liked you?”

Gyeo-ul furrowed her brow, trying to figure out the right answer to this.

“The thing is, professor,” she looked out into the garden, “if you meet someone you like that much…if someone great like that suddenly came into your life,” Gyeo-ul turned to Jun-wan, looking him straight in the eye, “trying to be with them would be worth the pain of rejection.”

Jun-wan stared at her in wonder. _Really, this girl._ She was kind of amazing.

He let out an exasperated breath. “That Jeong-won.” He couldn’t believe that man-child could be so mysterious, hiding something like this the whole time. “He’s always keeping things to himself.”

Feeling his frustration build up, Jun-wan continued, “Imagine having your father own this hospital and never telling the friends you’ve known for 20 years!” He looked at Gyeo-ul, almost a wild expression on his face. “Imagine running that Daddy-Long-Legs charity all on his own and never letting us know about it!”

Gyeo-ul smiled. She knew about the program and knew it had been a long-kept secret from his friends.

“That guy is really stingy, you know that?” Jun-wan kept on. “Using up all that money to spend on other patients that aren’t even his. That guy never catches a break.”

Jun-wan slowly felt his frustration mingling with worry for his friend…and also admiration.

“Gyeoul-ah, you should know - your boyfriend is an awesome person.”

Gyeo-ul grinned at him.

“He’s richer than any of us, but he’ll never use any of that money for himself.”

Gyeo-ul nodded, happy to see that Jun-wan cared so much for his friend.

“You’ll be eating teokbokki for the rest of your life.”

Jeong-won stared out into the evening blue. It was still rather cold outside, but at least the day had finally ended. He and Gyeo-ul could have some time together.

“Gyusonim!”

Jeong-won turned his head to the voice calling out. It was Gyeo-ul in her usual denim jacket, wearing a bright smile on her face.

It was a relief to see her after a long day.

“Gyeoul-ah.” Jeong-won smiled at her. Her hair was loose. She didn’t look tired at all.

“Are you ready for dinner?”

Gyeo-ul smiled back, “De, gyusonim.”

Jeong-won reached his hand out for hers. But before he could take it, Gyeo-ul took out something from her pocket. A familiar-looking wallet.

“Prof. Kim Jun-wan gave this to me today.”

Jeong-won furrowed his brow, utterly confused.

“He said dinner is on him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was surprised by how much I enjoyed writing this chapter. Jun-wan is really a fun character - a regular softy but with a cold exterior. I sincerely hope you enjoy reading! Thank you for all the comments. I really appreciate hearing from you :) I hope to keep you all entertained as I continue with the story!


	4. Ramyeon with Yang Seok-hyeong

Gyeo-ul and Seok-hyeong stared at each other as she stood by his door and he sat on the swivel chair in his office.

“S-sorry, professor. Min-ha told me to come straight here. She said she was here.”

Seok-hyeong, in the middle of another _Journey to the West_ episode, was surprised by the sudden appearance of the GS resident.

“Ah…I asked her to check on a patient just now. She should be back in a few minutes.”

Gyeo-ul nodded, “Thank you, professor. I’ll just wait for her outside.”

Seok-hyeong nodded in reply and turned back to his computer. Suddenly, he had an idea.

“Wait,” Seok-hyeong called out after her, still sitting on his swivel chair. “Would you like some ramyeon and gimbap?”

Gyeo-ul, surprised by the invitation, could only nod in agreement. She was also quite hungry, and had come by with the promise of food from Min-ha.

“Thank you, professor. That would be nice.”

The two doctors ate quietly. Gyeo-ul was hungrier than she had realized, and Seok-hyeong was quick to offer her more gimbap.

Seok-hyeong smiled pleasantly at her. “The General Surgery department must be crazy these days.”

Gyeo-ul looked up at him, her mouth full of ramyeon. She had been too hungry to initiate any conversation. She was embarrassed now, realizing he was looking at her.

“De, kyosoonim. We’ve been getting a lot of liver problems lately. Probably a side-effect of the holidays.”

Seok-hyeong nodded.

The two were quiet again.

Gyeo-ul wondered why he had invited her in his office. She heard that Prof. Yang Seok-hyeong preferred being alone. She couldn’t imagine why he had asked her to stay and eat with him.

“Jeong-won hasn’t been feeding you well, has he?” Seok-hyeong looked at her with a blank expression.

Gyeo-ul looked up at him, surprised that he brought up his friend.

“N-no…I just haven’t had the time to eat…sorry, professor.”

“I heard from Min-ha that you’re a fan of BTS. Jeong-won is a cheapskate - you should make him buy you a concert ticket. Throw in some merchandise too.”

Gyeo-ul was utterly dumbfounded by this sudden turn in the conversation.

“I’ve known Jeongwonnie since we were kids." Seok-hyeong had a sort of dazed look in his eyes.

"One time in 2nd grade, we both peed our pants in class after watching a scary film. We were both sent to the nurse’s office. I guess that’s how we started being friends.”

Gyeo-ul didn’t know if she should laugh or simply nod. She opted not to say anything.

As though snapping out of his reverie, Seok-hyeong turned to Gyeo-ul, smiling. “He always looked out for me, you know. People always called me weird, but Jeong-won was always there for me.”

Seok-hyeong looked away again. He didn’t seem to be staring at anything in particular. “I guess he was a weird guy, too.”

Gyeo-ul could only smile, wondering about this strange friendship between them.

“You may be surprised to know this, but I’ve had more girlfriends than Jeong-won’s ever had. You’re his first.”

Gyeo-ul was definitely surprised, but decided not to probe. Seok-hyeong seemed to go in and out of his own thoughts.

“And also, he was always more of a Mama’s Boy than I ever was.” Gyeo-ul sincerely wondered how much of this was true.

“Professor, why did you decide to be an OB-Gynecologist?” Gyeo-ul felt bad about changing the subject, but she was genuinely curious about Seok-hyeong. Among all of Jeong-won’s friends, he was the one she knew about the least. She also knew Min-ha liked him. Gyeo-ul had yet to figure out why.

“I’m not sure. I guess I liked the idea of bringing children into this world.” Seok-hyeong looked around his office, the other side of which was a mess, strewn with stacks of paper. “No matter how drab and depressing it can be."

Gyeo-ul nodded. He was definitely an enigma.

“Jeongwonnie has always looked out for me. He’s my longest friend.” He looked at Gyeo-ul with a slight smile on his face.

“I know he’s been busy a lot these days, so I thought I would return the favor and look out for you instead.”

Gyeo-ul blinked. She hadn’t expected this.

“Anytime you’re hungry, you can come by here. I always have some ramyeon stored with me.” Seok-hyeong looked at her, giving her a slight smile before returning to his food.

Gyeo-ul stared at Prof. Yang, feeling strangely comforted by the gesture.

“Oh," Seok-hyeong looked up at her, "don’t hang around Ik-jun too much. He’s a nutjob.”

Gyeo-ul laughed this time. She thought she would get along well with Prof. Yang.

“Professor, I saw you were watching _Journey to the West_. Have you been tuning in to _Running Man_? They had Lee Soo-geun on recently.”

Seok-hyeong seemed to brighten at this shift in the conversation. “Really? I should check that out.”

Min-ha sighed as she came out of her patient’s room. She was already starving, but the unpredictable demands of her patients kept her from sitting down even for just a moment. Instinctively, she grabbed her phone from her coat pocket to check for messages.

_I’m here outside Prof. Yang’s office._

A text message from Gyeo-ul.

Min-ha’s eyes widened. This was sent almost an hour ago. She had completely forgotten she invited Gyeo-ul to eat with them.

Min-ha walked briskly, sorry to have kept her friend waiting.

 _She probably already left. She couldn’t possibly wait an hour for me_.

As she reached Prof. Yang's office, she was surprised to see the two of them inside, eating and watching something on his phone.

Prof. Yang was unusually cheery.

“He always gets into this kind of mess, this guy,” he said, pointing to the screen and laughing.

Min-ha could see Gyeo-ul was enjoying herself as well, laughing along with the professor.

_Aish, leave it to these two introverts to get along._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a little apprehensive about writing about Seok-hyeong. He's really a difficult character to write, but I hope I was able to do justice to his character. I love the idea of him and Gyeo-ul getting on well together :) And I don't mean to make Min-ha jealous. I know she'll be a little annoyed that the two got along quickly. But I'm a huge Min-ha supporter and believe that she'll have her day with him in the next season! Fingerscrossed!


	5. Grilled Meat with Everyone

"Ya, Jeong-won, when are we going to have dinner with Gyeo-ul?" Song-hwa looked at her friend disapprovingly. "You've been seeing each other for a month now."

"He's just trying to hide her away from us, afraid we're going to bite," Jun-wan remarked, kimichi and lettuce full on his mouth.

The five were all gathered together in Jeong-won and Jun-wan's office, having a late dinner.

"Song-hwa's right, Gyeo-ul should start getting to know everybody." Ik-jun pointed his chopsticks at Jeong-won, who grumbled into his bowl of noodles. He didn't like this kind of probing from his friends.

"We should do it before Song-hwa leaves for Sokcho again. She won't stay long here, you know." Seok-hyeong joined in, much to everybody's surprise. He wasn't usually interested in meeting people.

Jeong-won slammed his chopsticks on the table, leaning back into his seat. He looked at his friends one by one, each of them looking at him expectantly.

He let out a heavy sigh. He had hoped to put this off longer. He didn't want his friends ganging up on his girlfriend. She might not be able to handle them.

Gyeo-ul took off her denim jacket and laid it on the top rail of her chair. She looked excitedly at the meat being grilled in front of her. She had only had ramyeon that day with Prof. Yang.

Jeong-won wiped down the table for what seemed to be the hundredth time. He glanced at Gyeo-ul, who sat staring at the meat, enthralled. She didn't seem nervous at all.

Well, Jeong-won was nervous. He wondered how Gyeo-ul would take to his friends.

Wiping down his side of the table, his mind was racing.

_Song-hwa's okay. I can count on her to be normal and not say anything inappropriate._

_Jun-wan...well, he isn’t the friendliest person. The residents and the nurses all call him Thanos...._

_Ik-jun, Gyeo-ul knows already. Still, he's chronically insane._

_And Seok-hyeong...I'll have to explain about Seok-hyeong later._

"Listen," Jeong-won started. Gyeo-ul turned her head towards him.

Jeong-won sighed. "My friends, they're kind of crazy."

Gyeo-ul smiled at him. She already knew that.

"If they make you feel uncomfortable, you can just---"

"Hey, we're here!!" Ik-jun waltzed right in front of them, sliding into his seat excitedly. "I can't believe Jeong-won is buying us meat!" He rubbed his hands together excitedly and stared at the grill, mouth agape.

Song-hwa followed after him, walking right over to Gyeo-ul.

"Gyeoul-ah, how are you? It's been a while." Song-hwa smiled brightly at her while taking a seat next to Ik-jun. Jeong-won was surprised by the informal address. Song-hwa wasn’t usually so forthcoming.

"I'm okay, professor. By the way, I heard Sokcho is really nice this time of year," Gyeo-ul returned her smiles. "I'll try and visit next time, just like you offered."

Jeong-won stared at Gyeo-ul. This was a little odd.

Kim Jun-wan stalked over to their table, sitting right down next to Gyeo-ul.

Jeong-won had been a little nervous about putting his girlfriend and his friend (also called Satan) together.

"Good evening, professor." Gyeo-ul bowed slightly at Jun-wan.

"You can drop the formalities – we're out at dinner.” Jun-wan put down his bag next to his seat. He sat up straight, turning his head to Gyeo-ul, “How have you been eating lately?”

"Okay, mostly. I noticed you've been busy lately, professor." Gyeo-ul replied.

This wasn't what Jeong-won had expected at all. Something was weird, the two seemed to know each other already.

"Yeah, I've been tied up lately. By the way, that BTS song you recommended was pretty good. I had it on loop the other day while I was doing surgery."

Jun-wan and Gyeo-ul had been seeing more of each other since their first encounter at the hospital garden. Apart from a surprisingly similar taste in music, the CS professor realized the value of the GS resident's insights. Jun-was was dating a unique woman after all – he might as well ask advice from someone equally strange.

"Hi, guys." Seok-hyeong appeared, obviously just getting off the phone with his mother. "Gyeoul-ah," he took a seat to Ik-jun's left, "I finally watched that episode you recommended. You were right about Kwang Soo - he has no upper body strength at all!" Seok-hyeong chuckled.

Gyeo-ul nodded at him, a tinge of laughter in her eyes. Everyone else in the table looked at the two, surprised at this exchange. The teddy bear was friendly all of a sudden.

Jeong-won's brow furrowed with a mix of confusion and frustration. He didn't understand what was happening at all. Something was up.

"Ya," he looked at his friends one by one, "what's going on here? Why are you all so comfortable all of a sudden?"

Only the sound of grilled meat wafted across the table as everyone sat quietly frozen into their seat. The four friends looked guiltily at one another. It was Seok-hyeong who broke the silence.

"Gyeo-ul has been hanging out at my office whenever you can't have lunch together. We've been watching a ton of variety shows."

Song-hwa cleared her throat. "I invited Gyeo-ul for drinks in the café a while back. We text each other from time to time."

Jeong-won closed his eyes. He couldn't believe this was happening.

He looked at Ik-jun next, shooting him a look, "What?" Ik-jun cried out guiltily.

He sat uncomfortably in his seat, "Well you know…once a wingman, always a wingman." Jeong-won glared at his friend. Ik-jun winked at Gyeo-ul, who pursed her lips.

Next, Jeong-won craned his neck over at the person to his left. He stared blankly at Jun-wan, waiting for an answer. "Well, um..." Thanos was speechless. "I like BTS."

At this, Seok-hyeong finally broke. He laughed loudly, causing Song-hwa to join in. Ik-jun shook his head, giving Jun-wan an amused look.

"What?" Jun-wan looked around the table, feeling a little mortified.

Gyeo-ul laughed as well. She couldn't help herself.

Jeong-won, who was trying to piece together exactly what was happening decide to give up and join in.

Beside him, Gyeo-ul was laughing out loud. His eyes softened.

This was gonna be okay after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a little nervous about writing this chapter, with everyone together. I'm not sure I'm fully satisfied with it, so there might be some editing later on.  
> If you've come this far into the story, thank you for staying tuned! I really appreciate all your comments. I hope to make everyone happy with this.


	6. Night Lights, Just Us Two

Two tall figures, clad in winter coats, stood leaning against a car parked on the hillside, overlooking the city.

Jeong-won and Gyeo-ul laughed together, recalling the events of the evening.

After dinner, the gang went out for _noraebang_. The boys ended up getting drunk (except for Jeong-won, who had to be on his best behavior). Gyeo-ul saw a lot of things she couldn’t unsee that night.

Seoul looked especially beautiful that evening. The couple stood close to each other, their breaths visible in the cold air as they laughed.

Jeong-won was delighted that Gyeo-ul had a good time. She seemed comfortable in their company.

"The truth is, I was a little nervous about this dinner. Those guys, they're like my family."

"Yes,” Gyeo-ul looked at Jeong-won, a smug look on her face, “You certainly bicker like family too."

Jeong-won grinned at her. She was surely getting the hang of it.

"Those jerks…going behind my back, hanging out with you right under my nose." Jeong-won sighed in frustration.

"Sorry, professor.” Gyeo-ul smiled at him guiltily.

Jeong-won could only laugh now. What’s done is done.

“It was interesting actually, getting to know them,” Gyeo-ul smiled at him, “I learned a lot of things.”

Jeong-won didn’t like what that meant. He looked at her, apprehensive.

“Mostly…I learned how much they care about you. One way or another, they all asked me to take care of you.” Gyeo-ul chuckled. She looked out into the night, “I’m glad you have them.”

Jeong-won smiled to himself. He was touched. He felt grateful for his friends, grateful he stayed.

Jeong-won looked at Gyeo-ul. He was grateful for her, too.

"When I transferred to Yulje,” Jeong-won started, his voice quiet, “I had other plans, other things I wanted to focus on," He looked over at her. "Meeting you was a surprise – you caught me off guard."

Gyeo-ul looked down, not sure how to feel. “I was surprised by you too,” She laughed lightly.

“For a long time, I was only focused on doing my job.” She returned Jeong-won’s gaze, “I’ve learned a lot from you, professor.”

He smiled back at her. This was all so new to him.

"I was wondering," Jeong-won looked out into the city lights far ahead, "maybe when it's just the two of us, you could just call me by my name."

Gyeo-ul was surprised by this. It never occurred to her to call him anything other than 'professor'.

She stared at him.

Jeong-won, suddenly feeling uneasy with the silence, laughed nervously, "Or not - it's okay, I don't really mind."

"Jeongwon-ssi"

Jeong-won looked up, surprised by the sound of his name.

"Jeongwon-ah"

Gyeo-ul tried it out, curious to see how it felt to call out his name.

Jeong-won looked down, trying hard to fight back his smile. He looked over at Gyeo-ul, who was trying not to smile too.

The two of them broke into pleasant laughter, happy at this growing familiarity between them.

"Jeongwon-ssi,"

Gyeo-ul looked him in the eye. Jeong-won felt nervous by how pretty she looked right then.

"Thank you for dinner," She smiled at him.

Jeong-won felt his chest swell, a warmth sweeping over him.

The two stared at each other, slowly coming into a new understanding that they had gone past just liking each other: They were falling in love.

Gyeo-ul suddenly felt nervous. Jeong-won's gaze had turned from gentle to a steely seriousness.

He leaned into her slowly.

Gyeo-ul closed her eyes, welcoming the closeness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, if I thought writing the previous chapter made me nervous - this one was the most nerve-wracking. I had such a hard time coming up with a full, fluffy Wintergarden moment. I was afraid of coming up with something too corny. All in all, I'm quite satisfied.
> 
> This story is coming to a close in the next chapter. I'm glad to have finished this story in just 2 days. It's crazy how one idea can totally take over and birth a whole story. I wanna thank all the Wintergardeners for supporting this ship. I love them so much :)


	7. Epilogue

On a less busy day in Yulje Medical Center, four residents were huddled outside the PICU, whispering excitedly among themselves.

"Aish, leave him alone, Dr. Chu. You're being nosy," Do Jae-hak implored, wondering how they could have time for such a thing.

"Let her be, Dr. Do. She's looking after her friend. It's touching," Ahn Chi-hong placed a hand over Jae-hak's shoulders, trying to placate his friend.

"Ah, do what you have to do, Min-ha. But make sure this works in our favor. Residents should have a life, too," Yong Seok-min drawled sleepily, his eyelids heavy.

At the corner of their eye, a tall, handsome doctor came came out from the PICU, a stethoscope in one hand and his phone in the other. His Crocs were sprinkled with stickers of cartoon animals.

One female resident with fresh dewy make-up walked over towards Prof. Ahn Jeong-won, smiling brightly. She sidled next to him at the nurse's station, planting her elbow on the table.

"Professor," Chu Min-ha smiled, batting her eyelashes at him.

"Would you like to grab a coffee? Let's have a chat."

The End :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this whole story. This last chapter may be a little corny, but I like to think that Gyeo-ul also has her own squad backing her up. I wrote a continuation of this chapter with the Salon Squad in a one-shot fic called The Interview. You can check it out too if you like 😊
> 
> This is my first multi-chapter fanfic, it's almost like my baby. Thank you for giving it a lot of love.
> 
> Let's keep holding on til season 2 comes around!!! Cheers, 99ers!!!


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